Shabbir Sir

Question 1

With reference to the Indian history of art and culture, consider the following pairs:

Famous sculpture : Site

1. Ravana shaking mount Ellora ,Kailash 2. Arjuna’s Penance Mahabalipuram 3. Vishnu reclining on the Serpent Sheshnag Ajanta

Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched? (a) 3 only (b) 1 and 2 only (c) 2 only (d) None

Answer 1

1& 2

Question 2

‘Ravana shaking Mount Kailasha’ painting : abt it?

Answer 2

1. n depicted several times in the caves of Ellora
2. most noteworthy is the one depicted on the left wall of Kailashnath temple (Cave No.16) at Ellora
   
   1. dated to the eighth century CE
   2. considered as one of the masterpieces of Indian sculpture.

Question 3

Arjuna’s penance sculpture?

Answer 3

sculpted on the surface of huge boulders at Mahabalipuram or Mamallapuram. Arjuna’s penance was to obtain the pasupata weapon from Shiva

Question 4

Vishnu reclining on the Serpent Sheshnag: where?

Answer 4

Famous sculpted work of Vishnu reclining on the Serpent Sheshnag founded at Dasliavatara Vishnu temple of Devgarh.

Question 5

Yakshagaana?

Answer 5

1. traditional theatre form of Karnataka ,
2. is based on mythological stories and Puranas.
3. The most popular episodes are from the Mahabharata and Ramayana
4. Elaborate and colourful costumes, makeup, and masks
5. Traditionally, yakshagana was performed in the open air by all-male troupes sponsored by various Hindu temples; Since the mid-20th century, however, many performances have been held on indoor stages, and women began to train in this tradition in the 1970s
6. With roots in the Sanskrit literature and theatre, yakshagana emerged as a form of dance-drama in the 16th century.

Question 6

Maach?

Answer 6

1. traditional theatre found in Madhya Pradesh .
2. songs are given prominence in between the dialogues.
3. The term for dialogue in this form is bol and rhyme in narration is termed vanag. The tunes of this theatre form are known as rangat .

Question 7

Jatra?

Answer 7

1. popular folk-theatre form of Bengali theatre spread throughout most of Bengali speaking areas of the Indian subcontinent , including Bangladesh and Indian states of West Bengal, Bihar, Assam, Orissa and Tripura.
2. The origin of jatra intrinsically a musical theatre form, is traditionally credited to the rise of Sri Chaitanya’ Bhakti movement.

Question 8

Swang?

Answer 8

1. mainly music-based; Gradually, prose too, played its role in the dialogues .
2. The softness of emotions, accomplishment of rasa alongwith the development of character can be seen in this theatre form.
3. The two important styles of Swang are from Rohtak and Haathras.
   
   1. In the style belonging to Rohtak the language used is Haryanvi (Bangru) and in Haathras, it is Brajbhasha .

Question 9

painting technique:

1. frescoes?
2. Gauche?
3. tempera?
4. Cubism?

Answer 9

1. technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid Lime plaster; in Ajanta caves
2. Dry pigments are made usable by ““tempering”” them with a binding and adhesive vehicle.
3. painting technique in which a gum or an opaque white pigment is added to water colours to produce opacity is known as Gauche.
4. a virtual art known to be created principally by the artists Pablo Picasso.

Question 10

Name some literary works of ancient India that provide a description of the musical traditions of ancient India?

Answer 10

1. The earliest treatise we have on music is the natya Sastra of Bharata.
2. Other treatises on music after Bharata, such as the
   
   1. Brihaddesi of Matanga,
   2. Sangeeta Ratnakara of Sharangadeva,
   3. Sangeet Sudhakara of Haripala,
   4. Swaramelakalanidhi of Ramamatya
   5. Silappadhikaram
   6. The Tolkappiyam Kalladam and the contributions of the Saivite and Vaishnavite saints of the 7th and 8th centuries A.D. also serve as resource material for studying musical history.

Question 11

Which among the following features is/are common to the Kailashnath temple at Ellora and Shore temple of Mahabalipuram?

1. Both are carved out from a single piece of rock.
2. Both are devoted to lord Shiva.
3. Both were built by Rashtrakuta rulers.

Select the correct answer

Answer 11

2 only

The shore temple at Mahabalipuram was built later, probably in the reign of Narasimhavarman II, also known as Rajasimha (Pallava king) who reigned from 700 to 728 CE. On the other hand , Kailashnath temple at Ellora, was built by the Rashtrakutas.

Question 12

minor minerals?

Answer 12

1. SG: minerals located within; CG: minerals underlying the ocean within the territorial waters or the EEZ
2. UG notifies certain minerals as ‘minor’ minerals
3. Power to frame rules are completely delegated to SG
4. SG grant the mineral concessions for all the minerals located within the boundary of the State, under the provisions of the MMDR Act, 1957, and Mineral Concession Rules (MCR), 1960 framed thereunder.

Question 13

consider the following statements:

1. Nandur is first Ramsar site in state of Maharashtra
2. There more than 50 Ramsar site in India.
3. Keoladeo National park and loktak lake are listed in Montreux record which is not the part of Ramsar convention.

Which of above statement is/are correct?

Answer 13

1 only

Nadur is the only Ramsar site in Maharashtra.

There were 27 Ramsar sites however 10 more wetlands added to the list

Montreux Record under the Ramsar Convention is a register of wetland sites on the List of Wetlands of International Importance where changes in ecological character have occurred, are occurring, or are likely to occur as a result of technological developments, pollution or other human interference. two wetlands of India are in Montreux record: Keoladeo National Park (Rajasthan) and Loktak Lake (Manipur). Chilka lake (Odisha) was placed in the record but was later removed from it.

Question 14

consider the following statements:

1. Palpur kuno sanctuary is potentially suitable for African cheetahs.
2. Cheetah was never existed in Asia.
3. Cheetah is keystone species.

Which of above statement is/are correct?

Answer 14

1 & 3

The Kuno-Palpur Wildlife Sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh has the potential to hold populations of four of India’s big cats; the Bengal tiger, Indian leopard, and Asiatic lion and cheetah, all four of which have co-existed in the same habitats historically for many years before they were wiped out due to overhunting and habitat destruction

Court has now allowed to initiate the reintroduction of foreign Cheetahs into the Palpur Kuno sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh on an experimental basis. Iran has considerable number of cheetahs

. In 1952, the Asiatic Cheetah was officially declared extinct from India

Question 15

Bhuvan Panchayat Version 3.0?

Answer 15

1. For better planning and monitoring of government projects, the ISRO has launched the Bhuvan Panchayat web portal’s version 3.0.
2. project is meant to provide geo-spatial services to aid gram panchayat development planning process
3. For the first time, a thematic data base on a 1:10000 scale for the entire country is available with integrated high resolution satellite data for planning.
4. jointly implemented by the Ministry of Panchayati Raj and Department of Space, ISRO.

Question 16

‘Grandfathering’?

Answer 16

1. Relieving certain existing contract from complying with new laws
2. Example - finance bill 2018 reintroduced tax on Long Term Capital Gain (LTCG) made from listed shares and equitis effective from 1st April 2018. but this was not retrospective it relieved any LTCG made from listed shares and equities before 1st april, means LCGT made before 1st april were “grandfathered”.

Question 17

“Sariah Index”?

Answer 17

1. e index of companies listed on BSE which are in accordance with Sariah Law
2. launched in 2010
3. exclusions
   
   • alcohol, tobacco, conventional financial services (banking and insurance), entertainment (Cinemas and Hotels), pork, defence and weapons, etc
   • Companies which carry more than 33% debt are also excluded
   • prohibits Gambling therefore derivative(Future and Option), day trading, etc are not included
4. enable those who believe in Sariah to invest comfotably in the market

Question 18

T/F: Statements abt FATF:

1. It is an international body comprising of national government, global institutions and NGOs.
2. It was created to curb terror financing.
3. From Asia only India, China, Russia, Japan and South Korea are members

Answer 18

All false

1. an intergovernmental body established in 1989 by the Ministers of its Member jurisdictions; also includes global bodies like GCC
2. Initially it only aimed to counter Money Laundering but in 2001 its manddate was expanded to include terror financing
3. Malaysia and Saudi Arabia (latest entrant) also

Question 19

T/F: Consider the following regarding Foreign Portfolio Investors (FPIs).

1. They are not eligible to invest in Money Market instruments
2. Participatory notes are issued by FPIs

Answer 19

only 2 is T

1. Initially, FPIs were required to invest in Government bonds with a minimum residual maturity of three years i.e. they were not allowed to in vest in money maket instruments. Bt this min maturity req fr G-Secs and SDLs (State Dev loans) was removed frm 2018, subject to condition that
   * investment in securities with residual maturity below 1 year (Money market instruments) by an FPI under either category shall not exceed, at any point of time, 20% of the total investment of that FPI in that category

Question 20

‘Masala Bond’?

Answer 20

1. first Masala bond was issued by the World Bank- backed IFC in November 2014 when it raised 1,000 crore bond to fund infrastructure projects in India
2. in August 2015 International Financial Cooperation for the first time issued green masala bonds and raised Rupees 3.15 Billion to be used for private sector investments that address climate change in India
3. In February 2020, Asian Development Bank (ADB) has listed its 10-year masala bonds worth ₹850 crore on the global debt listing platform of India INX
4. Rupee denominated bonds can only be issued in a country and subscribed by a resident of such country that is a member of FATF and whose securities market regulator is a member of International Organisation of Securities Commission (IOSCO).
5. According to RBI, the minimum maturity period for Masala Bonds raised up to Rupee equivalent of USD 50 million in a financial year should be 3 years and for bonds raised above USD 50 million equivalent in INR per financial year should be 5 years.
6. The conversion for such bonds will happen at the market rate on the date of settlement of transactions undertaken for issue and servicing of the bonds, including its redemption

Question 21

IOD?

Answer 21

1. positive IOD refers to the warmer western basin of the Indian Ocean as compared to the Eastern basin
2. This year (2019), over the past month, strong easterly trade winds across the tropical Indian Ocean have aided formation of +ve IOD
3. Positive IOD formation occurs during normal “Walker Cell Circulation” where as negative IOD formation occurs during EL-Nino formation.

Question 22

Shompen tribe?

Answer 22

1. indigenous people of the interior of Great Nicobar Island.
2. are a designated Scheduled Tribe and a PVTG
3. are as precariously poised on the brink of extinction as the four other hunter-gatherer tribes (the Jarawa, the Andamanese, the Onge and the Sentinelese
4. Shompen languages, of which there are at least two, are very little known, but appear to be unrelated to Nicobarese, an isolated group of Austroasiatic languages, and perhaps even to each other. They may constitute a language isolate.

Question 23

Tell abt these tribes:

1. Cholanaikkan
2. toda
3. Birhor

Answer 23

1. primarily inhabit the southern Kerala State, especially Silent Valley National Park
   
   • one of the last remaining hunter-gatherer tribes of the region.
   • The Cholanaikkans speak the Cholanaikkan language, which belongs to the Dravidian family.
2. most ancient and unusual tribe of Nilgiri Hills of Tamil Nadu,
   
   • they have their own language and own secretive customs and regulations
3. Birhors is one of the eight tribes in Jharkhand categorised as particularly vulnerable tribal groups.

Question 24

land use types in order?

Answer 24

According to the department of land resource there are 9 types of land use in India.

1. Forest land=23-25%
2. Land under development of infrastructure and Urban use = 3-4%
3. Uncultivable land = 3-4% (2 and 3 together constitute land not available for agriculture.)
4. Land under pasture = <3%
5. Land under trees and grooves = <1%
6. Current fallow land i.e. not cultivated for less than 1year = a
7. Other fallow i.e. not been cultivated for 1-5 years = b (a+b) = 8% = total fallow
8. culturable waste land i.e. not cultivated for more than 5 years = 4-5%
9. Net sown area = 45% i.e. ~154 million hectares

Question 25

Yalu river?

Answer 25

forms natural border between China and North Korea

Question 26

Eco-sensitive zones?

Answer 26

1. aka eco-fragile zones
2. transition zones (within 10 km) around the Protected areas
3. declared under the Environmental (Protection) Act, 1986.
4. guidelined by NWAP (2002-2016)
5. methods to manage such zones are by classifying the activities in to Prohibited, Regulated and Permitted.

Question 27

CPCB?

Answer 27

1. statutory organisation (under Water prevention of pollution act 1974) under MOEFCC
2. apex organisation in country in the field of pollution control, as a technical wing of MoEFCC
3. co-ordinates the activities of the State Pollution Control Boards by providing technical assistance, guidance and resolving disputes
4. responsible for maintaining national standards under a variety of environmental laws, in consultation with zonal offices, tribal, and local governments
5. responsibilities to conduct monitoring of water and air quality, and maintains monitoring data. The ambient air quality monitoring systems in cities have been setup by CPCB with the help of PSEs

Question 28

Arrange the following in ascending chronology.

1. Ramsar convention
2. Wildlife protection act of India
3. Basel convention
4. Project Tiger

Answer 28

Ramsar convention: Feb 1971

indian WPA: 1972

project Tiger: 1973

Basel convention is an international treaty that was designed to reduce the movements of hazardous waste between nations, and specifically to prevent transfer of hazardous waste from developed to less developed countries (LDCs). it was signed in 1989 and entered into force in 1992

Question 29

1. Cartagena protocol?
2. Nagoya protocol?
3. Kigali amendment?

Answer 29

Two major Protocol under UN Convention on Biodiversity

1. Cartagena Protocol (2003) – To protect BD from risks posed by the Genetically modified Organisms.
2. Nagoya protocol (2010) – For access to genetic resources and fair and equitable sharing of the benefits.
3. Kigali amendment was done to include the GHG in Montreal protocol

Question 30

Eco Development Force?

Answer 30

1. being implemented by MoEFCC in collaboration with the Ministry of Defence.
2. The ‘Eco-Development Forces’ scheme aims at Ecological restoration of terrains rendered difficult either due to severe degradation or remote location or difficult law and order situation.
3. The Scheme provides reimbursement of expenditure incurred to the Ministry of Defence towards overhead cost of Eco Development Force deployed at different strategic stations for Afforestation work and tree planting in remote areas through engagement of personnel from regular Army/Territorial Army and Ex-Servicemen personnel.